Libraries. So good.

I would say that we are avid readers. Avid is a term usually only used when people describe their reading habits and want other people to think they're smart because they are in fact "avid" readers. The problem for Dayna and I is that in addition to being avid readers, we move a lot so buying books has become kind of a hassle. The boxes...oh the boxes. So although when I become a "grown up" and buy a "house" I want to be one of those people who has a big book shelf of all the books I've read, we've decided that for now the library is a better option.

Boy did we find a good one. It's fairly close and has a great selection of books. I think we've been turned off by libraries for a while because in Winnipeg the Centennial has been closed for two years and Winnipeg's smaller branches are not very good. They just ain't. Dayna checked out some high class Marilynne Robinson literature, her usual delicious veggie cookbook, and a "How to Speak Spanish and MEAN It" cd set. I got a few local history books, a book about the history of religious extremeism in the Middle East (what extremeism?), and a Las Vegas travel guide. Screw Mossad and Hamas, I want Celine Dion!

Three points about our library:
1) Just like in Canada there were posters of celebrities saying how a awesome it is to read. But instead of Elvis Stojko in a tutleneck there was LL Cool J and other rappers who endorse other things in their music besides reading. Like shooting people.

2) The library was connected to a "Child Development Center". People in Los Angeles seem to be overly interested in the development of their children. People live vicariously through their kids to a degree that I've never seen in Canada. In the US since college is more of a priveledge and WAY more expensive than Canada and it seems like your whole life revolves around getting into college, even at a very young age. Every single minivan you see has a sticker that says something annoying like "My Child is an Honor Student at I.M. Greedy Middle School". I say let kids be kids. I would settle for "My Child Hasn't Done Drugs Yet!".

3) Most of the people in the library were on the computers wasting time on myspace.com or playing games. I think it's unfortunate that this is what libraries are being reduced to. Every time I'm in a library I realize how awesome it is and I'm scared that when I retire at 32 and follow what I now realize is my true calling, there won't be any real libraries left that need librarians. I think that in a world without libraries we would be left with an ignorant population. People would have no insight into the world we live, be ignorant for the most part, and most would actually find this billboard funny:











On the other hand, if we keep libararies and reading culture alive, if people learn and understand their own history and develop a love and respect for the written word, then we will be rewarded with a population who just as I, when they see this on the side of the road, know that it is funny and take a picture:










They look like boobs!